The Lure of the Dim Trails

ehind the home ranch of the Lazy Eight. The past month had been one of rapid living under new conditions, and at sight of them

ropped away from Thurston, and what had gone just before came back fresh as the happenings of the morning. There was the Stevens ranch, a scant half mile away from where the t

ndered if Mona would still smile at him with that unpleasant uplift at the corner of her red mouth. He wou

n the aisle, and hoped he would never witness another death; involuntarily he glanced down at his right stirrup, half expecting to see his boot

hill, back of the Lazy Eight corrals, and shoot until even Mona Stevens must respect his marksmanship, when Park galloped back to him-"The world has moved some while we was gone," he announced in the tone of one who has news to tell and enjoys thoroughly the telling. "Yuh mind the fellow I laid out in the hold-up? He got all right again, and they stuck him in jail along with another one old Lauman, the sherif

g. I'm all West but the training-and I never knew it till a month ago! I ought to ride and rope and shoot with the best of you, and I can't do a

, and it don't matter whether he can ride a bronk straight up, or don't know which way a saddle sets on a horse. If he's a man he gets as square a deal as we can give him." Park reached for his cigarette book. "And as for hunting outlaws," he finished, "we

er whisper, that day, and knew how he had failed to obey her commands; and if he had heard her call him a coward. He had often wondered that, but Park had a way of keeping things to himself, and Thurston could neve

nice thing about Park as a foreman: he tried to pair off his crew according to their congeniality. That was why

a habit I've got when I know there's bad men rampaging around the country. The boys kinda gave

think

it on general principles, same as

d his back comfortably against a rock. Below them spread the herd, feeding quietly. "Yes, sir, this is sure a snap," he repeated, after he had made himself a smoke. "They's only two

rock to your back and a cigarette in your face, on a nice, lazy d

along and make room," Thurston laughed. "I don't ha

ot a picture gallery in mine that I wouldn't trade for a farm; I don't need no Kodak in min

tering in the rank grass-growth; the winding sweep of the river and the green, rolling hills beyond; and Bob leaning against t

that yuh left in boyhood's happy days, and go back to find your girl dead and sleeping in a little church-yard or else it's your mother; or your girl marries the other man and you get it handed to yuh right along-and they make a fellow kinda

bryonic poem forming, phrase by phrase, in his mind. But he couldn't refuse Bob anything, so he sat a bit straighter and cleared his throat. He sang well-well enough indeed to be sought after

lem, Je

our gates

in the h

to you

ly, nosing for the sweetest grass-tufts. The horses shifted their weight, resting one leg

hought my drea

ts no lon

re the gl

le child

but Bob was not observant of signs just then. He was Striv

rew dark w

was cold

dow of a c

lonel

ides, Thurston's mount, was not the sort to worry about anything but his feed, and paid no attention. Bob t

ething," he Said. "Go on

lem, Je

our gates

yuh ain't got anything to do but lay in the shade of a rock and yaw

s-and then their hands went up; their faces held a particularly fooli

as evident their movements had been planned minutely in advance, for, once settled to his liking, the fellow tested the stirrups to make sure they were the right length, and raisin

rth in his voice and gathered up the reins. "If yuh want our horses, they're up on the bench. I don't reckon they'll ever turn another cow, but such as they are you're quit

hands dropped to his sides; in another second he was up and

and Bob toppled drunkenly a

fired shot after shot at the galloping figures. Not one seemed to do any good; the first sh

lculated the range a bit and Thurston crumpled down with a bullet in his thigh. The revolver was empty now and fell

r flying figures he crawled over to

was the idiotic

a breath, as if to steady his

diately after wished that he had lied and said

n their directness. "Don't yuh

ll me. You-they-" He

." He tried to speak carelessly and convincingly, but it was a miserable failur

ok after the outlaws, and set his teeth together tight. He did not want to act a fool

t, he put out a hand and laid it on Thurston's shou

amn co

f business," Thurston hurried to as

e. It went in my side but the Lord knows where it wound up. It hurts, like the d

s making his throat ache. When he a

a verse,

like church. I-I never went-much on religion, Bud;

, as if that could make it different. He tho

't fight over it. Go a

mself up till his shoulders rested against the rock

the h

he tidel

f God was o

s were o

ho would

one was

ily. "'And all-who would-" Thurston glanced quickly at his face; caught his b

to the sound of the shooting, fo